Bottoms Up: Raspberry Lime Rickey Margaritas + 4 Years of Feeding YOU

Last week was my four year blogiversary, and if it hadn’t been for facebook, the occasion would have drifted by, completely forgotten. Isn’t that the truest sign you’re getting older?

For the last three blog birthdays, I’ve celebrated by feeding you some sort of gluten-free healthy hedonist dessert. And had my kitchen dementia not struck (internet years are longer than dog years, guys), I would have done the same. But I think we wound up in the right place to commemorate the last 365 days with these raspberry margaritas.

The last year was made up of many small moments worth toasting, and many others that made me want to gulp down an entire pitcher of tequila. It included finishing a full year of blog posts dedicated to The Wellness Project, which was a huge feat just to live through, and one that off the virtual page, brought me some much needed peace on my health journey. It also included the even bigger feat of finishing the book version of that story offline. And that experience was at times soul-crushingly difficult. So it’s with this raspberry margarita that I remember all the wild (Alaskan salmon) successes, and all the times when I successfully battled my demons in the face of a blank white screen, a tub of ice cream and, well, many other margaritas.

So let’s talk about these puppies.

When I was younger I used to be obsessed with Shirley Temples. But the more upscale version was the Lime Rickey, which uses raspberry syrup instead of the usual grenadine. The sweet and sour element of this soda always lit my pleasure centers on fuego. And since ‘tis the season for fuego, I thought it would be an interesting spin on the usual Cinco de Mayo margarita.

The homemade syrup is fairly simple and takes just a few minutes to make. The fresh raspberries are combined with honey, which I always prefer to table sugar, and simmered with a little water until the flesh breaks down and you’re left with a thick, sweet compote.

For any sort of fruity cocktail concoction, the next step would be to strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. But since I’m a) lazy and b) feel better when I can say there’s fiber in my booze, I decided to just add the whole puree willy nilly into my tequila and lime mixture.

Margaritas are one of the most sugary drinks around thanks to what it takes to offset tangy lime juice and nauseatingly cheap tequila. If you find that your cocktail tastes too strong or needs a little more sweetness, just add a splash more honey. The beauty of using a liquid sweetener is that you don’t need to create a simple simple syrup to doctor along the way.

As with every year on my blog birthday, I feel incredibly grateful to have this vibrant community of healthy hedonists around me. So thank you for once again sticking with me through the good, the bad, and the healthy.

Xoxo Phoebe

And read on for some other great Cinco de Mayo recipes brought together thanks to Feast + West and Joyfully Mad.

Instructions

In a small saucepan, combine the raspberries, honey or agave, mint, and ½ cup water. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the raspberries have broken down into a coarse mush, about 5 minutes.

Remove the mint sprigs and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Optional: if you don’t want seeds in your drink, strain the raspberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve. I think you lose a little too much of it this way and I like fiber, so I chose not to.

Chill the raspberry puree until cool.

Meanwhile, combine the tequila, lime juice and ice. Stir in the raspberry puree.

Fill a shallow bowl with a thin layer of sea salt and another bowl with water. Dip the rims of your glasses into the water bowl, followed by the salt bowl, twisting to adhere. Divide the margarita mixture between the salted glasses. Garnish with additional mint and lime slices.

Recipe Notes

This raspberry margarita recipe is a tequila-infused spin on a classic lime rickey cocktail. The berry mix is flavored with fresh mint. Serve frozen or on the rocks!

If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!

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THERE

I’m Phoebe: gluten-free chef, culinary instructor, Hashimoto’s advocate, & author. I’m obsessed with the sweet spot where health and hedonism intersect, in the kitchen and beyond. And I want to help you find it too. READ MORE ABOUT PHOEBE